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by kirabook, Shinachiku



Series: The Life of Shinachiku [3]
Category: Naruto, Shinachiku, narusaku - Fandom, sakunaru - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, F/M, Family, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-05-02 13:21:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5249651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirabook/pseuds/kirabook, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinachiku/pseuds/Shinachiku
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shinachiku finds himself in a strange place with little to no explanation. Everyone he knows is there, but why are they acting so strangely? Why do they seem so different? And where is his home? NaruSaku, Shinachiku</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He regretted heading into the forest by himself. He usually came with his mom and his dad, but his mom was much too tired to go with him and his dad absolutely had to go to work with none of his usual excuses to stay home. He couldn't blame them for not being able to come.

His dad constantly took breaks from work, or snuck out to check up on him, or even took him to work with him. But as his mom said, his work would eventually catch up with him and he wouldn't be able to have any breaks. His dad worked non stop for days, just to make sure he could be at home with him and his mother as much as possible nowadays.

His mom had become so round, moving proved difficult for her now a days. She groaned and sighed every time she got up from a seat or had to walk across the room. His mother insisted it wouldn't be like that for much longer, and soon he'd have a little sister.

It wasn't the first time he ventured into the forest by himself. He snuck into the wooded areas a few times over the last few weeks when his parents couldn't come with him. They always got worried and upset when he left on his own, but they seemed less angry when he brought them gifts. One time he brought them flowers from deep within the forest. Not even his Aunt Ino had them in her shop. Another time he brought home a little slug. His mom helped him make the slug a box he wanted to keep as a pet. He even brought home a baby toad one, but his dad made him set that one free.

He wanted to find something else in the forest to impress them again. Or even a present for his new little sister...

Now here he was… wherever 'here' was. He lost track of where he came from or where he had already been. Everything looked the same, from the green grass, to the green bushes, to the brown tree trunks, and the small glimpses of sky through the canopy. He did his best to avoid the darker parts of the forest, but somehow, he found himself engulfed in it.

Shinachiku took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully. His mother always told him to keep a calm head and you can figure almost anything out… but... He was lost. He wanted to be tough and pretend to be brave, but his trembling hands and darting eyes gave him away.

A branch snapped nearby. It startled him beyond measure. He ran without thinking, unaware of his surroundings as he ran further and further into the dark forest. He continued to run, but the rustling followed still. It might be a bear, or a wolf, or a multitude of other things that wanted to gobble him up.

Shinachiku came to a screeching halt when found himself at a cliff. He looked down in horror. A view at such a height would normally excite him, but he could have fallen off. He turned back, planning to find another escape, but the leaves and the bushes rustled. Whatever chased him this far still hadn't given up.

"S-stay away!" Shinachiku waved his arms and yelled. A friend told him it would scare away creatures from the forest. Either he hadn't done it correctly, or the creature wasn't scared of him at all. A dark figure emerged from the darkness, but the darkness obscured his view.

Shinachiku took a frightful step backwards, and before he knew it, his world tilted upside down. He fell, he realized. Rocks and dirt hit him as he fell toward the earth. He saw a glimpse of the dark figure standing at the now far away cliff, watching him fall from above.

The world turned black.

* * *

Shinachiku groaned and rubbed his eyes. It had become so bright and light. He slowly opened his eyes to the pristine white ceiling. The ceiling was familiar to him… but not HIS ceiling. The ceiling lacked his glow in the dark stars and stickers. His father's 'accidental' spitball vanished. He sat up in confusion.

This was the hospital, the hospital his mother worked in. He started to wonder why, but noticed bandages on his arms and legs. He reached up to scratch a particularly itchy part of his forehead, realizing that a bandage had been placed there too.

"What happened?" He asked himself, sliding out of the cot. He approached a nearby window, attempting to see out of it, but he was too short, at least he knew it was daytime. Shinachiku approached the door and opened it with ease. He'd been inside of a hospital room before.

As he stepped out of the room, a nurse tripped over him. He yelped and pressed his back against the wall as the nurse stumbled, but kept rushing to her destination.

_'Don't play around or wander in the hospital. Everyone is busy and accidents are bound to happen if you don't watch where you are going'_ , his mother once told him.

He glided through the hospital with ease. He went to work with his mother all the time, he knew the place well. He wanted to check and see if she returned to her office, but he knew she'd be at home. Maybe she cut him an apple or peeled an orange, lunch time had to be coming.

He nearly fell onto his bottom when he walked into a pair of legs blocking his way. A different nurse focused her attention on him.

"Where do you belong little one? Where are you going?" Shinachiku blinked.

"I'm going home now. My mom works here, but not today." He explained. The nurse eyed him critically before she seemed to recognize something. A little confusion seeped into her expression.

"Who is your mother?" The nurse asked. She couldn't let a small boy with clear injuries just leave the hospital on a whim.

Shinachiku blinked again. Almost all the nurses knew his mother. Was she teasing him? They liked to tease him. Could she be new? He swore he'd seen her before... Just as he started to answer, the intercom binged. They called for her, what perfect timing. She turned to the boy again; he looked shockingly like Sakura she had to admit. The eyes were unmistakable, but...

"Listen, stay right here, alright? I will be right back." She gently patted the boy's head when he nodded in agreement. He seemed like the type to listen to authority. Or at least, she hoped he did.

Shinachiku obediently sat in a seat nearby and waited.

And waited.

And waited a bit longer.

He couldn't stand waiting any longer. Besides, his mother worked here, he'd just come back later. He'd have to apologize, but again, it he would definitely do it later. He hopped up from his seat and made his way to the exit.

Shinachiku stepped outside of the hospital, shielding his eyes from the brightness of the sun. A breeze flew by him, a nice gift on such a warm day. Everything looked very much the same… yet something felt off. He shrugged off the strange feeling and headed home. He ran into a major problem very quickly. He recognized some of the buildings… but others he did not. He walked down some roads before, but others seemed to have appeared and disappeared in a day. Before he knew it, a maze of familiar and unfamiliar locations trapped him.

He chewed on his fingers. His mom always scolded him for doing it, but he couldn't help himself. He remembered his mother's lesson about being calm and patient… much easier said than done. Shinachiku continued walking. He must have walked in many circles by now. His feet hurt. The sun beat down on him. He debated asking a local stall for a drink, but he didn't want to just take free drinks, he didn't have change.

Once again, Shinachiku found himself on the main street. It was crowded despite the heat of the sun. He sighed and peered into the sky. He lowered his view to the mountain. The Hokage mountain, couldn't miss it. All the previous Hokage's were on the mountain. They all looked so serious and strong.

_'They're all pushovers. Except the second Hokage. Trust me'ttebayo,'_ his dad told him. Shinachiku believed him. His dad never looked as serious as it did on the mountain.

Except, his dad's face wasn't on the mountain.

The end of the mountain was blank.

Shinachiku fell back in shock. Once, his mother had threatened his dad she'd erase his face off the mountain, but she didn't ACTUALLY do that... did she? What did his father do to make his face disappear? Maybe… it had something to do with how different everything seemed to be.

"Whoa!" Shinachiku cringed when a clumsy foot landed inches away from his hand. "Hey kid, you can't just sit in the middle of the street'ttebayo."

"Or, you need to watch where you're going." A lazy voice responded.

Shinachiku gazed up again and met his father's eyes. For a moment, relief washed over him. Even if his mother erased his face from the mountain, at least he was right here… Shinachiku's eyes focused on his hair. He saw his father with hair like that in a few pictures at home, but they were old. His clothes. He'd never seen his fathers in those clothes, but his jacket characteristically orange. Most noticeably… his father didn't seem as old as he used to be.

"Is he alright? He has bandages all over him..."

Shinachiku turned. His father's friend Shikamaru stood not to far away. Shinachiku rarely saw any expression on the man's face other than boredom, but now he seemed a little concerned.

"Hey." His father's voice caught his attention again. His father seemed concerned as well but…. "Are you alright? Can you stand up?"

"He looks freaked out." Shikamaru suggested, but he kept his distance.

His father huffed and reached out to grab him. Normally, Shinachiku would be eager to be lifted by his father and pulled into a tight hug. Right now he wanted nothing but to get away. He moved to his feet quickly, just out of his reach. The man frowned. When Shinachiku swayed on his feet, the man tried to grab him again, but now Shinachiku ran.

"Hey! Wait a sec!" The man tried to chase after him, but the crowded street held him back. Shinachiku slipped between the mass of people until the man was out of sight. Shinachiku collapsed to his knees in relief. He wiped the sweat from his partially bandaged forehead and tried to regain his breath. He wanted to go home now more than ever… to get away from this strange place… and the only way to find it was to keep searching.

* * *

"Strange." Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his head. He didn't recognize the kid, and the kid didn't recognize them either. Not particularly strange. "Hey Naruto, let's go." He walked forward, but stopped when Naruto didn't follow.

Naruto stood atop a building, watching over the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of the kid with no luck. He didn't know the kid's identity, but he seemed pretty confused. He wondered why the kid was on the floor, but the bandages hinted at some kind of injury.

"Naruto!"

Shikamaru called for him from below again. Shikamaru wanted to discuss important topics with the promise that they would have it while he had a few steaming bowls of ramen. Focusing on his delicious ramen would be a bit more difficulty knowing with an injured kid running around.

And not just any injured kid…

It was silly, but Naruto mistook him for Sakura for just a split moment. He had Sakura's eyes, he'd never seen anyone with them other than her mother. Even the boy's face resembled hers. The most logical explanation lead to him being a member of her clan.

He heard Shikamaru huff again. If he got the meeting over with, he would have plenty of time to search for the kid. Naruto jumped down behind Shikamaru and followed him to the legendary ramen stand, Ichiriku Ramen. Teuchi expanded the little ramen stand. Now there were enough seats to fit all the rookies, but they rarely hung out together at the same time.

"Can we get this over with quick? I have things to do'ttebayo." Naruto wasn't looking at Shikamaru's face, but he imagined his eyes nearly rolled out of his head.

"You mean chasing after your mini-clone?"

Naruto frowned, "Mini-clone?"

"That boy from just now." He answered plainly.

"What about him?" Again, Shikamaru sighed and dug his hands further into his pockets.

"He looked just like you." They entered the ramen stall. Lunchtime brought in a ton of customers, but free seats were available. They sat in the corner away from the other customers, despite Naruto preferring to sit at the bar. Naruto immediately grabbed the menu despite knowing what he wanted already.

"Like me? Eh..."

Shikamaru studied him. The boy resembled him. They even had similar hair, and possibly a similar interest in mischief based on how he managed to escape Naruto. But… the boy also resembled Sakura. It was a strange coincidence that a little boy who looked a lot like them was running around the village, especially given their current… 'relationship'. Of course the boy would interest Naruto, however impossible the idea.

"Listen, Narut-"

"Excuse us!" The restaurant became silent when a few nurses from the hospital burst in. "A young boy, around five years old, left the hospital without approval. Has anyone seen him? He has blonde hair and green eyes. He's wearing a green shirt." Most of the patrons turned back to their meals, chatting amongst themselves. The nurses became more distressed when no one responded and began to leave. "If anyone happens to see him, please bring him back to the hospital."

Naruto and Shikamaru stared at each other, no one noticed the silent battle of wills. Shikamaru would rather stay put and allow the hospital staff to find the missing boy themselves. The village was only so big, it was a matter of time before they found him or he went back. Getting involved could only make the situation more complicated. Naruto on the other hand,wanted to participate in the manhunt. He didn't want the kid to escape in the first place.

"Sorry! I swear, we'll talk next time'ttebayo!" Naruto clapped his hands together, bowing guilty in front of Shikamaru.

"Hey wa-"

"See ya later Shikamaru! Tell Ino and Chouji I said hi!" Naruto jumped up from the table and quickly exited the ramen stall.

Shikamaru huffed. He was too much trouble to chase after.

* * *

Shinachiku leaned against a wall, he didn't want to move anymore. His feet hurt more than ever. His throat was so dry, it was uncomfortable to breathe too harshly. He brought his knees to his chest, trying to keep at much sun off of him as possible and stay in the shade.

He was used to the heat of Konoha, even though he heard that Suna was much warmer. Today was different. His head pounded and the amount of sweat he had to wipe was more than ever. The bandage on his forehead was soaked with it, but he decided against taking it off. At least it wasn't itching anymore.

All his attempts to find his house was futile. He tried to get to the Hokage tower, but all the roads seemed to lead him elsewhere. He felt like he was going in circles, no amount of thinking or planning worked out for him. He wanted ask someone for help… but everyone seemed so busy…

"Hey."

Shinachiku nearly jumped out of his shorts and turned to his side. The dad-imposter from before was squatting down right next to him, similar like his dad would. He hadn't even noticed when he got there. The man smiled brightly and leaned in closer.

"My name is Naruto. And what's yours little guy?"


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto stared into the boys startled eyes. He snuck up on him, but he squatted there for at least a minute or so before he spoke up.The boy looked even worse than he had earlier. Flushed cheeks, wild eyes, swimming in his own sweat… Naruto was grateful he found him before he got any worse. Naruto moved to grab the boy, but again, the boy moved away from him. This time, Naruto noticed how confused and conflicted the boy appeared to be about this strange game of cat and mouse.

Naruto backed off again, pondering his next move. He could catch the boy easily, but… he didn’t want to scare him half to death either. Naruto put on a bright smile again, instead offering a hand.

“Well? You haven’t said your name yet.”

The boy’s eye grew wider, he hadn’t heard the question before.

“… You don’t know my name?”

Naruto blinked. The boy looked more confused than ever. Had he met the boy before? He be… another one of his ‘fans’ that sprung up of late? He couldn’t remember the faces of all of them.

“Uh well… I do. I just want to know if YOU know your name’ttebayo.”

Shinachiku looked unconvinced. This weird-dad was no different from his normal-dad, he sucked at lying. But why wouldn’t his dad know his name? Unless this weird-dad was a trick. His parents always warned him about tricks and strangers. He stepped back.

‘This isn’t going well…’ Naruto thought. He had to take the boy to the hospital whether he wanted to or not. Determined, Naruto advanced forward with no warning. The boy yelped and avoided him preemptively. The boy ran off again, but this time, Naruto stayed on his heels.

Shinachiku kept running, hoping to ditch him in the crowd again, but the crowd had thinned out. People noticed Naruto’s pursuit and actively moved out of their way to his dismay. Shinachiku peered over his shoulder, hoping that the man would give up again and leave him be.

The rock Shinachiku tripped over had a different opinion.

Shinachiku braced himself for the fall… but it never came. The man caught him before he hit the ground.

“You need to be more careful.” Shinachiku felt the man’s chest rumble when he spoke. He liked to lean against his parents and listen to them speak. The vibrations were comforting. “Are you all right?”

He shrugged and wrapped his arms around Naruto’s chest. Running away seemed pointless. Surprised, Naruto gently rubbed the boy’s back. His energy finally ran out.

“I want to go home,” Shinachiku whispered. 

“Sure, you can go home,” Naruto gently patted the boy on his back before picking him up, cheerfully smiling at him. “After we take you back to the hospital’ttebayo.” He expected the boy to resist or refuse, but the boy laid his head on his shoulder instead. There weren’t too many kids willing to visit the hospital… could he really be that ill? Concerned, Naruto made his way to the hospital. He decided to walk rather than travel by rooftop, juggling the boy around while jumping seemed like a bad idea.

A nurse approached him as soon as he entered the building. She looked anxious.

“Ah, Naruto. You found him, thank goodness,” The woman reached out to take Shinachiku into her arms, but the boy hugged Naruto tighter, much to his surprise. “Do you know this boy?” She asked.

“Uh well… I think you should check over him. He’s sick.” The nurse scrutinized him before she motioned for him to follow. None of the nurses groaned in annoyance from his presence to his surprise. A few months ago, he was in and out everyday, bothering Sakura during her break and off time. Now… he had little to come here to see her.

“Place him on the bed,” she instructed. Naruto tried to do so, but the boy still clung to him like glue. His attitude was… endearing. Instead, Naruto sat on the bed with him. This seemed to please the boy and his grip loosened.

The nurse checked over him. His little adventure outside earned him extra scratches here and there, and some of his bandages had come off. With Naruto’s help, she cleaned the wounds and rewrapped them.

“What’s your name?” The boy hadn’t spoken since they got here. Naruto listened closely, he didn’t know his name either.

Shinachiku blinked, many thoughts were going through his head. Everything was wrong. He couldn’t find his house, and many of the street gone or completely new. His father’s face was missing from the mountain, his mother couldn’t have erased his face like that. People acted like they didn’t know him. Even his own father. They were asking for his name. Was it a trick?

“My name is Shina…” he finally responded.

“Shina? What about your last name?” she continued.

“Yeah.” He answered. His parents always told him in a suspicious stranger asked his name, never give his full name, especially not his last name. The nurse waited, displeased with his answer. She let it be.

“Alright Shina, how do you feel? Tired? Thirsty? Dizzy?” The nurse pulled out a clipboard from a shelf nearby, taking notes.

“I’m… I’m tired’ttebaro.”

The nurse nodded knowingly, but Naruto nearly jerked off of the bed. The nurse eyed him again, but Naruto looked away. She hadn’t noticed the boy’s manner of speech.

“Shina, you hit your head a little too hard.” She sat in a chair nearby and scooted closer. “Do you remember how you hit your head?”

Confused, Shina reached up, gently touching his head near the newly wrapped bandage. He didn’t recall falling, but he tripped a lot. In fact… he didn't remember anything that happened today other than waking up in the hospital.

“It’s all right if you don’t remember. You might remember later.” She continued to write, but paused, noticing Naruto’s expression. He seemed strained and confused. When Naruto realized he was being stared at, he looked away again.

“Shina “ she continued, “Who are your parents so we can see you home?”

Shina became hesitant again and shifted in Naruto’s lap. The nurse noticed his strange distrust.

“How about this Shina, Naruto will help you go home. You won’t have to tell me.”  She smiled kindly, pleased when the boy returned a smile. “Great, we’ll do that. But first, I need to speak to Naruto outside please.”

The nurse waited as Naruto placed Shina on the bed before exiting into the hallway. The tall boy… no, man, shuffled out, cracking the door behind him.

“Naruto, why are you acting strangely? Should I ask someone else to take the boy home? He doesn’t need your… goofiness right now.” Naruto shook his hands, but didn’t explain his behavior, nervously scratching his chin.

“I can take him home… but don’t you have records of him or something? You can find out his parents easily.”

“That boy is not in our records.”

“… How is that?”

“He was found injured right outside of the village. A team found him as they were returning. He had a fairly minor concussion and minor lacerations. He must have fallen somewhere.”

“He said he didn’t fall.”

“He didn’t say anything. It’s fairly common for patients with a concussion not being able to remember how the trauma occurred, especially children.” The woman stared at him as if he were stupid. She wasn’t wrong. “The boy seems to trust you more than he trusts me, so you should help him get home. You need to return to the hospital once you find his parents or alert them to bring their son back. We might have missed his file, but if that boy is not in our files… it’s questionable why he is here.”

Naruto glanced through the cracked door into the room. Shina still sat patiently, gently swinging his legs off the edge of the bed. Nothing about the boy seemed suspicious. He seem genuinely lost and confused. His appearance made him curious. The little boy had to be related to her. What threw him off was the familiar verbal tic…

“No worries, I’ll get him home’ttebayo.”

* * *

Naruto and Shina bid farewell to the nurse, but not before she further doubted Naruto’s ability to take Shina home safely. Naruto walked with Shina to the hospital gates. Naruto stopped, glancing down as his smaller companion.

“So.” Naruto crouched down to Shina’s level. “Where do you live?” Shina shrugged. “… What does your house look like?”

“My house… my house is blue.”

“Ah blue…” Naruto did his best not to laugh. “Anything else?”

“And… we have a fence. And a big window in the front,” Shinachiku continued. “And there’s a big tree in the backyard.”

“I see I see. But… you don’t remember the street name or anything?” At this rate, Naruto they would never find his house. There were plenty of blue houses in Konoha, houses with fences, and houses with trees in the backyard. Shina shuffled on his feet. Maybe he was too young to pay attention to street names.

“If you don’t remember, we’ll have to search by foot!” Naruto reached down and placed the boy onto his shoulders. He expected the boy to be surprised, but he naturally held onto Naruto’s head. “I’ll let you pick where we start.”

Shina pointed in the general direction of his home. He knew the way home from the hospital, or at least, he thought he did.

Naruto carried him through the village along the path he remembered, but soon enough the path become unfamiliar again. Shina recognized none of the houses they passed by.

“I’m lost…” Shina rested his chin on Naruto’s head.

“You’re not lost, I’m here with you right?” Naruto couldn’t see the boy’s expression, but it didn’t seem to lift his mood much. He knew little about concussions, but surely it explained why Shina had trouble with directions. Naruto glanced toward the Hokage Tower. The boy didn’t seem to be in their records, but he had the Uzumaki symbol on his clothes, not uncommon for Konoha children. Every shinobi wore the symbol upon their vests. Something about a treaty…

“How about we look for your parents instead.” Naruto suggested. “Are they shinobi?” The boy nodded eagerly. “Great! That’ll make things easier’ttebayo.” Naruto knew most of the shinobi in service, even if only by their face and not their name. “How about… you describe your mom. And your dad.”

Shina lifted his head. He wouldn’t tell the man his parents name… but telling them what they looked like would help him go home. He couldn’t describe his dad because… the man WAS his dad, or that’s what it seemed like. Was his dad lost too? Had he forgotten about him and his mom? Everything was too strange.

“Mom… has green eyes like me.”

“Uh huh.”

“And, she has pretty pink hair.”

Naruto paused mid-step. The only two people in the village were Sakura and her own father. But the only one with green eyes AND pink hair…

“And… and she’s a doctor. She’s super strong too.”

Naruto felt sweat trickling down his back. Maybe the concussion the kid had was affecting his memories. The nurse said something about confusion, didn’t she? Surely Sakura didn’t have a kid at this age. But… he hadn’t seen **her** in months, maybe she adopted a kid or… well, she definitely didn’t give birth to one in such a short amount of time. He felt the boy tap his head. Naruto looked up, meeting the boy’s eyes. Sakura’s eyes.

Naruto cleared his throat and changed direction. “Listen Shina, I think I might know where you live. If it’s not the right place… we can try again tomorrow, ok?” Shina nodded and slumped further onto Naruto’s head. It was getting pretty late, it might be well past his bedtime. Naruto jogged carefully, the path to her home was etched permanently in his mind. He used to be there at least a few times a week. She used to let him sleep on the couch if he was too lazy to go back to his small apartment.

“This is it,” Naruto announced. Shina lifted his head, studying the unfamiliar home. A light was still on inside, he thought he saw someone walk by. Shina blinked when he felt himself being lifted again. Naruto held him in his arms. “If this isn’t the place … we’ll keep looking tomorrow, remember?” When the boy nodded, Naruto approached the house.

Naruto swallowed hard before he knocked on the door. He used to barge in, much to Sakura’s dismay. There was shuffling behind the door before the lock finally opened and the door creaked.

Sakura peeked out, squinting into the darkness. She seemed to remember something before she turned and flicked on the light next to her door. Naruto stood at her door. He looked nervous and uptight, but that was the least of her worries. Naruto was carrying a little boy with a bandage wrapped around his head. His eyes were wide with recognition and surprise, but that quickly turned to what seemed to be confusion.

“Hey, Sakura-chan. Long time no see.” Naruto froze when Sakura finally looked back at him. She seemed curious of Shina in his arms, but she immediately looked annoyed with him. Despite that, she was as beautiful as ever. “Sorry to bother you so late’ttebayo.”

“Naruto, what’s going on?”

“Uh well… it’s kind of complicated…” He trailed off when Shina leaned onto his chest and hid his face into his shoulder. He didn’t know what he expected, but he had hoped the kid would have a positive reaction to seeing his… ‘mother’. Naruto sighed and rubbed his head. “Well Sakura-chan, this kid is a bit lost and after a little questioning… it led me here. But it looks like I got it wrong.”

“You still haven’t told me what happened.” Sakura opened the door wider, the situation peaked her interest.

“Well you see, this kid… Shina, he got hurt and was in the hospital. By mistake, they let him out of the hospital, but he got lost. I took him back and I decided to help him find his house, but he isn’t exactly sure how to get there.”

“… But why did you come here?” Sakura frowned. It was typical of Naruto to ask her for help, but that didn’t seem to be the case, especially since he hadn’t visited in months.

“I’m here because… well, he described what his mom looked like and… it kind of fit your description. He might be confused, but I figure I’d try anyway.”

Sakura blinked. Surely Naruto didn’t come here thinking she was the mother of what to be a four year old. She glanced at the boy, but he still had his face hidden in Naruto’s neck. The boy appeared to have blond hair, but she didn’t pay very much attention to the details of his face.

“Have you been to the tower?”

“No, not yet. I guess I can go tomorrow after he’s had some rest’ttebayo.” Naruto took a step back. He wanted to step past Sakura and sink into her couch while begging for a snack, or pretend to need to use the bathroom only to raid her kitchen and watch some tv. It looked so inviting inside, it seemed nothing had changed.

But so many things had.

“Well, thanks for the help Sakura-chan, but we should get going.”

“Wait a second!” She called out. Naruto paused mid turn. Her call was enough to make the boy lift up his head in curiosity, but Naruto stepped too far into the darkness for her to get a good look. “What happened to him that he needed to be in the hospital?”

“Ah, no worries Sakura-chan. He’s fine. The nurse lady said he had a minor concussion or something.”

“A concussion??”

“Yeah, but he’ll be fine with some rest right? I’ve got it handled.” Naruto assured.

“I don’t think you do. You don’t know the first thing about concussions.” She argued. Naruto looked offended before he dug into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper.

“The nurse gave me a list of things to-do and to-know.” When Sakura narrowed his eyes, Naruto insistently held it up more. “I know how to read Sakura-chan!” She rolled her eyes, glancing inside at a clock on her wall.

“The hospital should still be open. You should take him back.”

Naruto sighed. Taking him back to the hospital seemed like a good idea, but… he wanted to keep him. Besides, a hospital room is uncomfortable, and Shina seemed comfortable enough with him.

“Sakura-chan, it’ll be fine. He wants to stay with me… right?” He hoped the boy would play along and agree. When the boy slowly nodded, Naruto felt unexpectedly pleased. “See?”

Sakura frowned and stepped closer. She gently tapped the boy’s shoulder and he turned around, surprised. Her eyes widened when she finally got a good look at him. He looked like Naruto, or at least, very similar. Sakura shook her head, focusing more on the bandages around his head. The boy was fatigued, he definitely needed rest.

The hospital would be the best place for him to rest. There were nurses around the clock to monitor his concussion and surely they could find his parents or his home. They must have overlooked something.

“Sakura, please.”

She glanced up, meeting Naruto’s eyes. He was pleading with her now. Typical of Naruto to become so attached to a child he only just met. She… admired that quality of his. Sakura shook her head again with a sigh.

“Leave him with me tonight.”

“What, why?”

Sakura rolled her eyes again. “Who is trained in medical procedures here? I’ll watch over him for the night and you can help him find his way home tomorrow.” Naruto looked hesitant, but the child looked unfazed. Too tired to react she assumed. Sakura stepped closer, carefully taking the boy from his arms. Shina immediately draped his arms over her shoulders.

“Are you sure about this? Don’t you have work tomorrow?”

“Naruto, there’s no need to be jealous. It’s just for the night.” Sakura insisted as she turned, heading back into her home. Naruto followed her.

“I’m not jealous! I want to make sure he’s ok.”

“You don’t trust me?” Sakura sharply turned, meeting his eyes again. That shut him up.

“I’ll be here in the morning’ttebayo.” Naruto leaned down, meeting Shina’s tired gaze. “Sleep tight!” He gently pet the boy’s head.

“Ok… papa.”


	3. Chapter 3

_‘Ok… papa.’_  
  
To hear anyone say that to him, let alone a little boy who looked so much like Sakura, was shocking to say the least. He had no words. In the end, he bid Sakura a silent farewell and waited until she firmly shut her door before he turned away.  
  
A dad? Him? It was a silly thought. Naruto rubbed his head bashfully, he’d never admit out loud how his heart jumped out of his chest with what seemed like joy. Why would he be so happy over a confused little boy accidently calling him ‘papa’?   
  
Naruto paused and turned toward the clear sky. The stars were clearly visible, but the moon seemed to be hiding.   
  
“Bah, he’s just confused’’ttebayo.”  
  
As soon the words left his mouth, he felt a clench in his chest. That only happened when he told a lie.  
  


* * *

  
  
Sakura helped him undress and bathed him. Shina was sweaty and dusty from the events of the day. Normally, he’d love to play with some bubbles or splash the water, but his whole body felt heavy and everything seemed so cloudy. But his mother always told him being clean made you feel better, and she was right.   
  
Sakura didn’t have clothes that would fit a child, but she managed to find one of the smallest shirts and shorts she had. They still hung off of his body. The scene made her chuckle.   
  
“How do you feel, Shina?” She gently took his hand and lead him through the house to the living room. She prepared him a comfortable mat to sleep on with plenty of blankets. She looked down at him when he failed to answer. Shina’s eyes were shut and his feet dragging. Sakura leaned down, taking the boy into her arms again.  
  
“Tired huh?” She carried him over the bedding and laid him down. He looked at her with half lidded eyes as she pulled the blanket up to his chest. “How is that?”  
  
“... It’s warm.” Shina reached up and pulled the cover up to his neck. He felt her hand rest on his forehead, prompting him to open his eyes a little more to watch her. The woman looked just like his mom, but he hadn’t seen his mother wear her hair like that except in pictures. The man that looked like his papa said she lived here, but this wasn’t their house. Their house was bigger, and he had his own room and his own bed. Shina blinked sleepily, noticing that the strange lady was staring at him as much as he was staring at her. He raised the blanket higher, covering most of his face in embarrassment.   
  
“Get some rest, “ Sakura chuckled. She gently pet his head and prepared to leave him alone when he suddenly pulled the covers back down*  
  
“Where… where is Naruto?” He asked carefully. Saying his father’s name felt strange, but he wasn’t sure if the man was really his father.  
  
Sakura paused. ‘No “papa” this time?’   
  
When Shina uttered ‘papa’ at the door, Naruto and Sakura halted in surprise. Sakura assumed Naruto had been telling the kid to call him that, but Naruto silently shook his hands in protest. Shina must have slipped up and called him that by mistake, or that’s what she thought. The boy looked awkward calling Naruto by his name, maybe even a little ashamed?  
  
“Don’t worry, you’ll see him in the morning.” Sakura rubbed his head in reassurance. He looked pleased. His half lidded eyes threatened to close.  
  
“Can you stay until I go to sleep?”  
  
“Of course.”   
  
Sakura waited patiently, rubbing the boy’s head as he tossed and turned under the sheets. Eventually she resorted to rubbing his back and that did the trick. He finally settled down into a deeper sleep. Sakura gently touched his forehead, checking for fever. Sweat beaded up on his forehead. She stood and grabbed a cloth from the closet to wipe his forehead. She swept the hair back and dabbed it dry. It was then she noticed the size of his forehead. His hair seemed to cover it naturally. She snorted softly. Somehow, it made him a little more adorable. She placed the towel firmly onto his forehead, it would probably stay there most of the night.   
  
She left him there and got ready for bed. Even on her day off, she obtained a patient. In this case, she didn’t mind. She rested her head on her pillow and quickly turned off the lamp beside her bed. She had hoped sleep would take her quickly, but she was never the lucky type.  
  
She hadn’t expected Naruto to show his face. They hadn’t spoken in months, and she avoided him like a plague. At some point, he got the picture and left her alone. Things couldn’t be like they were before. He had a new path to follow and so did she.   
  


* * *

  
  
She woke early that morning and got ready for work as usual. She felt sluggish and wanted to sleep in, but work had to be done. She stepped out into the living room and stumbled in surprise. She nearly forgot that she was taking care of Shina for the night. Going to work early was out of the question.   
  
Sakura approached him quietly, gently feeling his forehead. The cloth had fallen off, but it wasn’t soaked. He sweat very little through the night and looked rested. His bandages were still on and no blood to be seen. Fantastic, but it would be best to stick around and make him some breakfast. She removed her lab coat and entered the kitchen. A little soup would do him well, and it didn’t take long to make it either.  
  
When someone grabbed her shoulder, instinct took over. She turned, ramming her elbow into their ribs. It wouldn’t kill the intruder, but it would stun them long enough for her to-  
  
“Urrgggg…” That groan was all too familiar. She turned around, finding Naruto crouched on the floor holding his chest.   
  
“Sakura-channnn, what was that for?!”   
  
“What are you doing in my house?!” She raised her hand, covering an embarrassed blush. “I told you about coming into my house without permission!”   
  
“I was coming to check on Shina.” Naruto got to his feet, holding his abdomen. “I didn’t want to wake you up. Or him up by knocking or something.”   
  
“Naruto, you can’t just enter my house like that anymore, people will get the wrong idea. Idiot.” Sakura refocused on her task at hand, preparing a pot for the soup. She narrowed her eyes when Naruto came and stood beside her.  
  
“Get the wrong idea of what? That we’re friends? I don’t remember that changing.”  
  
“Friends don’t enter each other’s houses without permission.”  
  
“Ino comes in here all the time when-” Sakura slammed the pot onto the stove. Naruto jerked back, glancing back into the living room where Shina slept. The noise didn’t stir him. Naruto looked to Sakura who had also turned to check on Shina, she looked a little guilty. Naruto huffed and ran a hand through his hair, deciding to change the topic.   
  
“Not sure what I said last night, but I guess I should tell you the whole story’ttebayo.”  
  
“Yes, you should.” She instructed, focused on the warming pot.   
  
“So, I was about to eat out with Shikamaru right? All the sudden Shina runs into me. He looked so spooked and confused and ran away before I could catch him. He’s real quick.” Naruto leaned against the counter as Sakura stirred the breakfast broth.   
  
“A few minutes later, some hospital staff rushed in saying they were looking for him. So I went out looking for him myself. He looked… lost. I caught him and took him back to the hospital. They said he had a concussion and he doesn’t know how, but they found him unconscious right outside the village.”  
  
“But why did you bring him here? What was that all about?”  
  
“I uh… asked what his mother and father looked like. He said his mom had green eyes like him. Pink hair, really strong… a doctor….”  
  
“I’m not his mother obviously.”  
  
“I know’ttebayo. But it’s not like I had any other clues. And… he does look like you.”   
  
Sakura frowned and turned to dispute his claim. He was staring at her, the intensity silenced her. She cleared her throat and turned back to the pot.   
  
“Stop looking at me like that.”  
  
“Like what?” She could see his concentrated gaze from the corner of her eye.  
  
“Go wake up Shina. The soup is done.”  
  
“I wanted to talk some more while I have the chance since you never let me in here anymore.” Naruto leaned further into the counter, trying to meet her eyes. “We barely hang out now.”  
  
“Why would we? You should be spending that time with your girlfriend.”  
  
“Saku-”  
  
“Girlfriend?”  
  
Naruto and Sakura turned, finding Shina standing just outside the kitchen. His eyes were wide, as if he had heard the strangest news imaginable.   
  
“Ah, you’re awake! Great, I don’t have to do it.” Naruto glanced at Sakura before he leaned away, approaching the sleepy child.  
  
“Go help him get dressed so he can eat.” Sakura pointed the spoon toward bathroom, not that Naruto needed directions in the first place.   
  
“Uh, well, alright.” Naruto picked him up and walked down the small hall. He stopped suddenly, backing up into Sakura was in view again. &nbsp“Wait, what clothes will he wear?”   
  
“I washed his. They’re hanging up in the bathroom” Sakura called out as she poured the steaming soup into a bowl.  
  
Naruto entered the bathroom, carefully putting the boy on his feet. His clothes were hanging on the towel rack. They even looked ironed out. Naruto grabbed the clothes and handed them over.   
  
“Here you go.”   
  
Shina took the clothes, but promptly placed them on the ground. He reached for his large borrowed shirt and tried to pull it off, but he became entangled. Shina struggled and grunted for a few moments before Naruto helped pull off the shirt. He held in a laugh, but didn’t hide his chuckling. Shina reached for his own shirt and started to pull it over his head, but once again, he struggled. Naruto held in his snort and helped him pull the shirt over his large head. Who knew watching a child try to dress himself could be so hilarious.  
  
Naruto didn’t wait to help the boy get on his pants. He held them open as Shina used his forearms to balance himself and step inside. Naruto assumed he was used to someone helping him get dressed rather than dressing himself. Naruto buttoned up the pants and straightened his shirt.   
  
“Ok, to the kitchen table.” Naruto ushered him out of the bathroom back to the kitchen. Sakura already prepared him with a seat, including a pillow to boost him up. She picked him up and placed him in the chair.   
  
“Eat carefully, the soup is still hot.” She gave him a spoon and sat in a seat next to him. Naruto sat in another seat and flashed her a smile. Sakura narrowed her eyes and focused on the little child in the seat as he ate the soup. Naruto blinked. What did he did to make her mad now?  
  
“So Shina-chan, today Naruto will help you find your home, right?”   
  
He tilted the spoon before it managed to reach his mouth, causing the liquid to spill onto the clean table. These people aren’t his mom and dad. This isn’t his house. The strange events from the previous day flooded into his mind.  
  
“Are you alright?” Sakura gently turned his face towards words. He met his mother’s eyes, except… this lady wasn’t his mother.   
  
“If you keep holding your mouth wide like that, people are gonna think you fell in love.” Shina closed his mouth and turned. His dad was smirking at him. Annoyed, he turned back to the warm soup, quickly consuming a few spoonfuls before he slowed down. Naruto laughed loudly before he suddenly stopped, gripping his leg under the table.   
  
“Shina, “ Sakura gently turned his head in her direction again, seemingly oblivious to Naruto’s sudden aliment. “Don’t let this fool distract you today, alright? I’m sure your parents really want you to go home, so do your best.”  
  


* * *

  
  
“Sooo, today is the day.” Naruto carried Shina on his shoulders and spun playfully, earning a laugh from the boy. At least he was easily entertained. “Where do you want to start?”   
  
Shina rested his head on Naruto’s. They already searched so much yesterday and they still didn’t find his house. He KNEW his mom and dad would come looking for him, but there was no sight of them. Well… except the people who looked a lot like his parents, but they didn’t recognize him at all. What was going on? He couldn’t wrap his head around it.  
  
“Uh…. I don’t know,” He finally answered.   
  
“What? You don’t know?” Naruto looked up, meeting Shina’s eyes.   
  
“.... This place is weird’ttebaro.” Naruto tripped over his own feet, but stayed upright. Shina gasped, holding Naruto’s head tightly.  
  
“Ah, sorry.” Naruto assured. In the hospital, he thought it was a mistake or he misheard. “‘ttebaro” he said? He hadn’t heard anyone else with a tic like that. Well, except himself… and his mother. He saw younger fans copying him , saying “ttebayo!” after every sentence they spoke. It made him a little self conscious, he didn’t say it that often, did he?  
  
But Shina… “ttebaro”. He heard it twice now, and he clearly wasn’t doing it on purpose. It flowed out naturally, and it was of his own flavor.  
  
But… what did that mean?  
  
“Papa.”   
  
“Huh?” He answered by mistake. He started to correct himself, but noticed Shina pointing into the distance.   
  
“I know that place!”   
  
Naruto quickly jogged over and stopped before entering a less traveled street. All the houses looked well taken care of and crisp. His parents must be moderately well off. Shina wiggled on Naruto’s shoulders, wanting to be placed down. Naruto granted his wish, but held onto his hand just in case.   
  
“This… looks like it. Sorta.”  
  
“This looks like your street?”   
  
Shina looked up, his dad looked curious and … pleased? Was he happy that he found his own house? Or, if this was a trick, was the person happy that he pointed out his own house to do bad things?   
  
“Maybe… it’s not.”   
  
Naruto frowned. Shina had looked so certain a moment before until he looked at his face. Did his face give the boy that much uncertainty?   
  
“Wouldn’t hurt to look, right? Let’s walk around a bit’ttebayo.” Naruto lead the boy across the street, keeping a firm grip on his hand. Shina kept pace as they walked.   
  
The neighborhood was quiet and clean. Some of the houses looked strikingly familiar. He passed by that house every day, but he didn’t remember there being such a large tree in the front yard. He remembered that house, but the fence in the front yard was missing.   
  
And finally, there was his house. He hardly recognized it. The house looked like it had once been painted white, but the faded coloring made it hard to tell. There wasn’t a fence in the backyard like there used to be, but he could easy see the familiar tree in the backyard. The branches twisted and turned in strange ways; it was unlike any of the other trees in the neighborhood. His father told him someone must have twisted the tree in many strange ways when it was really little.  
  
“Is this your house?”   
  
Shina startled and looked up to the tall man beside him. Naruto glanced down at him encouragingly.   
  
“.... No…” Shina turned to the house again, doubtful.   
  
“Do you want to have a closer look?” Naruto gently pulled the boy closer to the house. The house looked abandoned. Not run down, but uas if it hadn’t been lived in in years. The ward was a little unkept and the house needed a paint job badly.   
  
Naruto looked up the stairs that led on the porch. As soon as he took the first step, the rotted would creaked loudly. Deciding to be safe, Naruto took Shina into his arms and ascended the stairs. Curtains covered the window from the inside, but some of the inside could be seen. The room was empty except for large furniture pushed against the walls.   
  
“Can I see?” Naruto still held Shina in his arms, but he was unable to see inside. Naruto put him closer to the window.  
  
Hands pressed against the window, he peered inside. The inside look like his house too… but none of their stuff was inside. In his house, pictures were on every wall. There were various bookshelves of all of his mother’s medical books, and some of his own books. His dad hid all his manga under the couch so that his mother wouldn’t throw them away.   
  
“You sure this isn’t your house?” Naruto asked again.   
  
“... It’s not.   
  


* * *

  
  
“We’ll keep looking tomorrow.”   
  
“I know.” Shina kicked the ground as he walked. Their elongated shadows shifted and bounced as they walked down the street. There were still many people out despite the evening approaching so quickly.   
  
Naruto wasn’t blind. Shina’s face displayed disappointment and confusion. Shina definitely believed that to be his house. It was empty and looked empty for years… but Naruto noted its address anyway. They walked aimlessly longer before Naruto grew tired of the silence. He picked the child up and spun him around like he did earlier.  
  
“Come on, cheer up’ttebayo!” Naruto was rewarded with hesitant giggles. “Tomorrow, we’ll find it for sure. Naruto poked and prodded, easily finding the most ticklish parts of Shina’s body. His giggles quickly evolved into laughter.  
  
“S-stop it!” Shina screamed. It drew the attention of some people that walked by. Naruto stopped, allowing the boy to catch his breath. Naruto waited, but held us his hand threatening. Shina flinched and giggled, preparing to defend his ticklish parts.   
  
“For now, it might be best to get back to Sakura’s. She’s probably off work by now... “ Naruto looked up to the sky, trying to determine what time it was.   
  
Shina looked, but something else caught his eye.  
  
"Papa!"  
  
Naruto's eyes widened. He looked around, expecting to find a man whom Shina resembled approaching them. Instead, he met Shina's eager emerald eyes. Shina called him 'papa' again.  
  
"Uh-"  
  
"Can we go get some ramen?" Shina pointed off in the distance where the ramen stand stood.  
  
"Yeah but Shina..." Naruto let the 'papa' slip quite a lot. At first he thought the boy was confused and disoriented from the concussion, but now it seemed like Shina ACTUALLY confused him for his father.  
  
"Huh?" Shina looked at him questioningly. He expected an excited enthusiastic response, his dad always enjoyed ramen. Even for breakfast.   
  
“... Ah nothing. Alright, let’s go get some ramen.” Naruto set the boy on his feet and followed him through the crowd to the ramen stand. He wanted to correct the boy, before he got anymore confused… but something held him back. He didn’t particularly hate being called ‘dad’ though. He definitely had to have a good talk with the Shina real soon.  
  
They came into the small building, greeted with the smiling face of Teuchi.  
  
“Ah, Naruto! Welcome. And with a guest?”   
  
“Good to see you old man.” Naruto decided to eat at the bar and helped Shina into a seat of his own. “What do you want Shina?”   
  
“Miso please!” Shina held the menu in his hands, glancing over the options as he gently swung his feet. He couldn’t read all the menu options, but the pictures looked delicious. He always ordered the same meal as his dad, though he couldn’t eat nearly as much.  
  
“Alright, two Miso’s please!”   
  
Teuchi immediately started working on the order. “Only two? Usually you eat so much Naruto. On a diet?”   
  
“Ah, I guess. People keep telling me I should eat Hinata’s food instead.”  
  
Shina stopped swinging his feet. Hinata?  
  
"I see, but I don’t want to lose my best paying customer.”  
  
“Don’t worry don’t worry, I’ll still come at least once a day at least’ttebayo.” Naruto chuckled, but turned when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Shina held his jacket firmly in his grasp.  
  
“She didn’t tell you that.” Shina remembered his mother berating his dad about eating ramen right before dinner or eating it for breakfast. He would listen, but eventually he fell back into eating it as a snack. His dad always asked him to keep it a secret when he caught him snacking on ramen, but Shina enjoyed tattling on him sometimes. One thing was clear, it wasn’t Hinata that told him that. Hinata was his father’s friend but…  
  
Naruto chuckled again, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Of course she did. How would you know Shina?”   
  
“I just know it.” He insisted, brushing Naruto’s hand from his head. “… Mom that said that…” Shinachiku trailed off, realizing his mistake. They locked eyes, both surprised by Shina’s words. He knew it, he had forgotten. This mystery man wasn’t his father. And… the lady he stayed with wasn’t his mother. But why did they act so similar? It confused him.  
  
“Shina… I’m… I’m not your dad, right?”   
  
“Here you are.” Teuchi placed the bowls on the countertop, letting them escape from the tense atmosphere between them. Shinachiku stood on the barstool and looked into the fresh bowl of steaming ramen. Something was missing. His favorite part of ramen were the freshly chopped carrots sprinkled around. Teuchi always put extra carrots in his ramen, he didn’t have to ask anymore because Teuchi knew to do it. This bowl lacked it.   
  
Shina blinked, he wasn’t sure how long he had been staring at the bowl of ramen, but the distinct feeling of tears overwhelmed his senses. He couldn’t hold them back anymore. He cried. He wanted to since he woke up in the hospital. Everything flipped upside down when he wasn’t paying attention.   
Naruto tried to comfort him, but he didn’t want to be comforted. Not by him. He wanted to go home, to his mom and dad. He wanted to lay in his own bed, in his own house, with his real parents.  
  
Why couldn’t he go home?  
  


* * *

  
  
Sakura paced by the door impatiently. She didn’t even know if Naruto was going to come back, he probably helped the boy find his place… right?  
  
She sighed, rubbing her head. The signs of a headache stormed underneath the surface. Work tired her out. There were plans to expand the hospital, a department for children services. Tsunade told her it would be a handful, and she was right. The amount of scrambling around stressed her out.   
  
Sakura plopped onto her couch, trying to relax. It was well into the evening now. She felt strangely… disappointed. She didn’t get to spend much time with Shina, but he was so well behaved. Cute too. She wouldn’t mind meeting his parents or seeing him once in awhile to make sure he was ok.  
  
A knock at the door startled her from a daze. Ino would have barged in already. She had a key. They knocked again, more frantic this time. Sakura rolled her eyes, only Naruto would be so impatient. She approached the door, carefully unlocking it and peeking outside.   
  
“Can I come in?” Naruto stood outside holding Shina. He looked stressed and exhausted.   
  
“What? You didn’t f-”  
  
“Sakura-chan, please. I can explain inside.”  
  
Sakura stepped aside and allowed him inside. It was then she heard the soft sniffles coming from the boy in his arms.   
  
“What happened??”   
  
“Uh well… I guess we didn’t find his house’ttebayo.”  
  
“What do you mean ‘you guess’?”   
  
“The house he thought was his was completely empty.”  
  
“What…” Sakura looked down when Shina shifted in Naruto’s arm. Shina turned and met her eyes. He reached out to her, almost desperately. She took him into her arms without a second thought. Shina held onto her tightly, like he was scared she would disappear. She rubbed his back gently. “Naruto, what happened?”   
  
“I was going to take him home… but I don’t think he would like that.” Naruto avoided her eyes and looked at everything but her. “So, I figured he could stay here again and we’d go to the Hokage’s office tomorrow.”  
  
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Naruto finally looked at her in surprise.   
  
“Why not?”  
  
“This is stressing him out. I’m going to take work off tomorrow to get him clothes and something to do until we figure this out.” Sakura walked down the hall towards the bathroom. Before she entered the door, Naruto blocked her way with his arm. “?? What are you doing?”  
  
“Sakura, it’s going to stress him out more if we keep him for too long right? We can take him to the Hokage’s office tomorrow and… and-”  
  
“And what Naruto? They’ll figure it out? I’m sure they will, but they’ll keep him somewhere even more unfamiliar while they search.” Sakura brushed him aside and help the boy undress. She inwardly congratulated herself on washing the pajamas he used the night prior. Her mother’s strict attitude on cleanliness started to pay off.  
  
Naruto silently stood outside of the door as she washed and dressed Shina for bed. He hadn’t been very talkative the night before, but he spoke more than this. When she finally laid him down in the bed she made up, he fell asleep quickly without her assistance. She left the room and switched off the light. She watched him for a while to make sure he didn’t wake up, there were bags under his eyes. Even if his sleep, his face held great tension.   
  
She turned, looking for Naruto, but he was no longer in the hall. She almost called out for him, but heard clanking in the kitchen. When she entered it, Naruto sat at the table and had helped himself to her milk.   
  
“Naruto, what happened? It looks like he’s been crying for a while.” He shrugged, hesitant to answer. “.... Naruto.” She growled.   
  
“We looked around and apparently he recognized this street. So we went to have a look and there’s this house. He looked so convinced that it was his house but he kept saying it wasn’t. So... we looked a bit more and I decided we’d stop for the day.”  
  
“And?”   
  
“And so, I offered to take him for some ramen and me and Teuchi were joking around and it seems like… Shina got really upset.”  
  
“What were you joking about?”  
  
“Just… stuff about Hinata not wanting me to eat ramen and stuff. The usual’ttebayo.”   
  
“And why did that make him upset?”  
  
“Sakura, I don’t really know. … For some reason, Shina is confusing us for his parents so he got really upset when I talked about my girlfriend. That’s it.”  
  
“Well, why did you have to talk about her in front of him anyway? He’s all confused and lost, you probably made it worse for him.” Sakura crossed her arms.  
  
“How am I supposed to know something like that would make him upset?? I didn’t bring her up.”  
  
“Well next time, maybe you should watch your mouth and what you do or say around him until we find him his place.”  
  
She saw sweat starting to bead around his forehead. He loosened his jacket and held the glass of milk tightly.  
  
“Look, I’m sorry ok? I’ll… make it up to him when we go shopping tomorrow.”  
  
“‘We’? I don’t remember inviting you. You can’t shop even if your life depended on it.”   
  
“What??? But S-”   
  
“It’s about time you left, right? I’m going to take care of him tomorrow and you’re going to… go do whatever you do with Hinata.”  
  
“I never said I was going to do something with Hinata tomorrow.” Naruto straightened in his seat.   
  
“But you should. She’s your girlfriend afterall. Now go.” Sakura walked to the door and held it open. She tried to hold it back, but discussions about Hinata always made her antsy. She helped them get together, or more like, she forced Naruto in Hinata’s direction, but that is how it should be. Right? … &nbspThe less they spoke about his… relationship, the better.   
  
“Sakura, Hinata and I… We hang out sometimes. She understands ok? I want to keep helping Shina and hang out with you-”  
  
“No, YOU don’t get it. She doesn’t ‘understand’, she’s too shy to speak her mind you dunce! Every moment you’re trying to hang out with me you should want to spend with her!”   
  
Naruto stood from his chair, but his eyes never left hers. He wanted to say something, but held himself back. What would he say? Would he be upset?   
  
“Sakura-chan. It’s… not like that.”  
  
“.... Naruto, please leave.” Sakura looked to the floor. He gave her THAT look again, the that made her heart sink. She could practically read his mind. Sometimes she enjoyed being one of the few people who could, but she didn’t want to be tonight.   
   
He stood there for a bit longer before he finally left the table. He stopped before walking through the door. She curseed silently at how it makes her heart jump.  
  
“Sakura-chan, I… want us to be like before. Why can’t we do that? What happened?”  
  
“It can’t be like before.” Sakura gulped, finally having the courage to look him in the eye again. She hoped she looked stubborn and not regretful. “I already told you this… so please leave when I ask you to.  
  
Normally, Naruto wouldn’t back down, especially if he thought he was right. But tonight he did. She closed the door and slumped against it, trying to regain her composure. It always ended up like this. They talked, then they ‘argued’, and finally, Sakura had to force herself to kick him out in fear of what might happened if they were left alone for too long.   
  
Sakura peeked into the living room to make sure their talking didn’t wake Shina from his sleep. His face was relaxed now, maybe he found peace in a nice dream.   
  
She didn’t want to think about Naruto, she’d focus on Shina instead. Get him clothes, maybe a toy or two. Enough to keep him busy until she could figure out his parents’ identity and where he lived.   
  
Yes, that would keep her distracted enough. Enough to ignore how much Shina looked Naruto while he slept.


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto got up much earlier than he normally did. Our rather, he couldn’t sleep in at all. Worry clouded all his thoughts. Why did he always end up caring for strangers so much?

He sneezed and wiped his nose in annoyance.

He’d make a special allowance for Shina. He was just a kid, and not even a bratty one.  He wondered if Sakura would have even let the child stay if Shina caused too much of a fuss. 

When he reached the Hokage Tower, he nodded respectfully to some of the secretaries and continued on toward Kakashi’s office. He hoped Kakashi would be there so early in the morning.  For once, he lucked out. Kakashi had just entered his office with fresh coffee in hand when Naruto caught his eye.

“Hey, Kakashi-sensei!”

Kakashi winced and sighed, staring off into space with a bored expression. “Do you need to be so loud in the morning?” Naruto shrugged unapologetically.

“Sensei, I got a problem on my hands and I need some help.”

“Not for the first time.” Kakashi entered his office and Naruto followed quickly behind. “Make an appointment.” Kakashi sat in his chair behind the desk as Naruto stubbornly plopped in a seat across from him. Getting Naruto out if his office would be no easy task. Kakashi sighed again, leaning back into his seat.

“What do-”

“So there’s this kid found outside the village unconscious. He has a small concussion and memory loss. He’s not in the records at the hospital either. So, I volunteered to help him get home or find his parents with no luck.”

Kakashi stared at Naruto boredly. As usual, Naruto wrapped himself up in something complicated. In fact, Kakashi concluded Naruto somehow made the situation more complicated than it needed to be.

“And where is the kid now? The hospital?”

“Sakura-chan is looking after him.”

“Sakura?” Kakashi blinked. He knew of Naruto and Sakura’s deteriorating relationship, but stayed out of it.

“Yeah. She.. is gonna look after him today. We looked for his house for the last two days, but we only found an empty house.”

“What house.”

Naruto dug into his pocket and pulled out the note with the address.

“… This is the address?”

“Yeah. Nothing inside though. Needed a paint job too.” When Kakashi stopped questioning, Naruto grew impatient.  "So, what can I do?“

"You sure he said this is his house? ”

“He didn’t SAY it… but he looked convinced. Either that’s his house, or his house is similar.”

“This house?” Kakashi asked again as Naruto tapped his foot impatiently.

“What about it?”

Kakashi stared at him expectantly, but turned away when he didn’t get the response he wanted.

“What does the kid look like?”

“Blond hair. Green eyes. I think the nurse said he’s four.”

“I’ll let you know if we find anything.” Kakashi glanced at the note again, waving Naruto away.

“That’s it?? What about a search team or an announcement or something?”

“Naruto.” Kakashi’s tone became serious. Naruto straightened in his seat. “There are plenty of children who go missing or get lost.  There are plenty of parents who abandon their children or disappear without a trace. This one… interests me, but I have more urgent things to do.”

They sat pensively in silence before Naruto stood.

“You’re starting to sound more and more like old man Sandaime.”

“You’ll understand once you’re sitting in my seat.”

“Yeah yeah.” Naruto turned, waving goodbye over his shoulder. Kakashi rarely caved into his pouting now a days. Maybe he was too old for it to work efficiently.

Kakashi glanced out of the window,  watching as Naruto stalked away. He called a secretary into the office, requesting the legal belongings of his late teacher.

It never occurred to him that Naruto wouldn’t recognize the home of his own parents.

* * *

_Darkness covered everything. Branches and leaves scratched and pulled him as he made his way through a dark forest. He wanted nothing more than to find his way out. He wanted to go home._

_A dark figured followed him. Stalked him. No matter how fast he ran, the figure followed close behind._

_He tripped and fell. And kept falling, and falling, and falling deeper into a bottomless pit. The darkness crawled on him. Squeezed him. Suffocated him._

He sat up, gripping the covers tightly to his chest. Light streamed into the room through the thin curtains. The morning light chased away the dark corners of the room. It brought him little comfort. The house was quiet, but he heard shuffling coming from the hall.  

“Mom?” No one answered. Shina crawling out of the blankets and got to his feet, surveying the dim light room. Although the house itself was unfamiliar, there were a few things around that he recognized. A dish sat high up on the bookshelf; a gift from his grandma to her, an ‘airloom’ his mother explained. He didn’t know what that meant.

The orange hand-knitted pillow his father made for her sat on the couch. He remembered his dad telling him a long silly story about how he made it to help his mom sleep at night.

A portrait of his mother and his grandparents hung on the wall. She always looked so upset in the photo. She told him that his grandpa had just finished telling a dumb embarrassing joke.

Familiar objects, familiar people, familiar places… yet his parents didn’t know him, neither did the ramen man or the nurse. His house was empty and so many things were simply missing. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out what happened. Is this just a bad dream? He pinched his, but as expected, it kind of hurt.

“Gotcha!” Hands wrapped around his torso, lifting him into the air. He squealed from the sudden invasion. The shuffling from the hall stopped abruptly and footsteps rushed down the hall.

“What’s wrong?!” Sakura stepped into the living room anxiously scanning the room. Naruto stood frozen in the center of the room holding Shina to his chest.

Naruto mentioned the similarities she shared with Shina. To her, Naruto and Shina looked like twins, especially at a moment like this. Shina’s hair was unkempt from sleep, and Naruto’s messy hair remained unkempt. Their eyes were wide and mouths agape, an expression she only saw on Naruto.

Sakura balled up her first, narrowing her eyes at the elder blond.

“What are you doing in my house Naruto?!”

Naruto quickly set the child on the floor, waving his hands defensively.

“S-Sakura-chan, I was just coming to check on Shina!”

“You ‘check’ on him by scaring him half to death?!” Sakura grabbed Naruto by his jacket and dragged him toward the door.

His mother got angry like this, and his dad would smile just as much as he was now. Shina always wondered why he grinned during a scolding, but he already concluded that his dad kind of likes making her angry. He covered his mouth keep keep his giggles hidden.

Sakura threw Naruto out of the door, slamming it after him. She huffed in frustration.

“Sakuraaaaa,” Naruto whined from beyond the door.

“Shina, let’s get ready for the day, ok?” Sakura clasps her hands together and smiled, ignoring the commotion outside of the door. She thought maybe the conflict going on so early in the morning might upset him, but Shina only smiled and headed toward the bathroom himself.

They ate breakfast together before they finally left the house. As Sakura locked the door, she felt a tug on her pants. Shina pointed to the floor in front of them. Naruto was still on the floor, curled up with his knees to his chest. He put on the biggest act of childishness she’s seen in awhile. Even his lower lip quivered.

“Seriously Naruto.” Sakura huffed and picked up the chuckling Shina, stepping over Naruto’s body..

“Sakura-chan, please?” He got up from the floor, hesitant to follow. When Sakura swiveled her head and pinned him with a glare, he deflated. She must be upset about night. Or at least about this morning. He put his hands in his pockets, sighing.

When they were far enough, Sakura placed Shina back onto his feet, but protectively held his hand. Shina turned slightly, waving eagerly.

“See ya later!”

Naruto blinked. And blinked again. He freed his hand from his pocket, waving back. Sakura shook her head disapprovingly, but even she seemed to be smiling a bit. A feeling welled up in his chest as they walked away. He felt it before in specific circumstances.

He was content with what he had. His friends were his family, that’s what he truly felt. Or so he thought.

Having Shina call him ‘dad’, sitting at the table with him and Sakura… even watching her tuck Shina into bed. He was fine with what he had… but he wanted more. Not with just anyone. And not with…. her.

Naruto chewed the tip of his thumb anxiously. He slipped back into his old habits more and more. Habits Sakura deemed, ‘inappropriate’. She avoided him for months all with the purpose of ‘helping’ him end their… ‘relationship’. How could he express how badly he wanted to stick around and be with her? He could he avoid the guilt every time he remembered he owed Hinata so much? Why didn’t he feel this way about her?

Shina was here. Sakura ignored him less. Now she spoke to him, even if they were only about the young boy they stumbled across. He enjoyed pretending things were the way they were before.

What would become of them when Shina finally returned home?

What would happen if… Shina never found his home?

Rustling in the bushes disrupted his train of thought. He only just realized how quiet the area around him became. How did he miss the heavy presence so close to him? There weren’t many people who could sneak up on him now a days.

“Who’s there?” He questioned.

Naruto tensed when the bushes rustled more. He waited, preparing to pounce or defend himself. When a rabbit hopped out of the bush, he relaxed for a moment. Seeing a rabbit this time of the year seemed normal… but it wasn’t the rabbit that created the presence.

* * *

He had no doubt about it now. They were definitely his parents, even if they looked and acted a little strange.

His mother held his hand as tightly, she always did when they went out shopping together. Their surroundings had changed a little from what he remembered, yet everything was much the same.

They were his parents… but somehow, they had forgotten about him. Everyone had. They forgot where they lived, and they forgot what Konoha USED to look like. They even forgot that they lived in the same house!

Shina smiled to himself. As long as he remembered, then he had to help them remember too. The only problem he faced was figuring out how to do that…

“Here we are. I’ve wanted to shop here forever~”

Shina blinked, looking up at the shopping store. The place was familiar to him. After all, he spent hours inside with his mother shopping for clothes now and then.

“We come here alllll the time.” Shina corrected.

“Oh, so your parents shop here?”

“Yeah.” Shina glanced up toward his mother, determined to stir up some memories. “Remember??”

Sakura frowned. Shina seemed to genuinely mistake them for his parents before… but now she saw certainty in his eyes. She gently pulled him aside, crouching down to meet his eyes.

“Shina… I’m not trying to upset you, but we are not your parents.” Sakura waited for some kind of realization to occur, but all she got was a frown. She frowned further. When had his confusion become… stubbornness? “Shin-”

“Excuse me miss, are you a customer?”

Sakura stood, glancing apologetically to the store clerk.

“Yes, sorry.” She took Shina’s hand again, pulling him into the store, not that he resisted. His problem was temporarily forgotten once her eyes caught the collection of children’s clothes. She always wanted to come in and have a look, swooning over the miniature outfits that looked like they fit on a doll. Unfortunately, it was odd to browse a children’s store as an adult with no children in the foreseeable future.

Thoughts about family filled her mind as she walked further into the store to the boy’s department. She wanted a family. A husband, a child. A house to call their own, she’s always had that kind of dream.

_‘Do you still think that’s gonna happen?’ Ino teased._

_‘Of course I do. And I’ll do it before you.’_

She cringed. Why did she say such stupid things, even as an adult? She berated herself, digging into a rack of t-shirts. Having a family wasn’t a race. Besides which, the one she spent most of her life chasing before was missing in action. For all she knew, he already started a family somewhere in a far off land.

She shook her head again. Why did she still force herself to care? She felt like a child who never got that one piece of candy the wanted. It bothered her, even when she told herself to get over it.

Even worse, even Naruto’s relationship bothered her. She spent so much time trying to push him away and toward Hinata. She thought she’d be pleased and happy for him. Instead, just the thought of them together… she couldn’t pin what emotions ran through her. Guilt? Frustration? Disappointment… longing? No matter how much she ignored them, they always came back. He always came back…

“Mom?”

Distracted, Sakura glanced down, meeting Shina’s concerned gaze. Her inward thoughts must have been obvious if someone was watching her. She refocused on her mission, leaning down to ruffle his hair. He seemed to like that.

“Shina, we’re here to get you some clothes. Can you… go pick out a few you like and show them to me?”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’ll be right here.” Sakura smiled reassuringly. For a moment, he looked overwhelmed with the task. “As long as it’s not orange…”

“I’ve got it!” Shina ran between the clothing racks, nearly tripping in the process. Everything seemed to be going so well! He got permission to pick out his own clothes AND  his mother finally seemed to remember something. Too much orange clothing was not allowed, only his mom would say something like that.

Maybe she looked so upset because she was remembering…?

Shina held his head and groaned. Despite his best efforts, nothing made sense. One day, everything is normal, but the next, everything changed. He gently prodded the scab on his hairline. It was the only evidence left he hit his head at some point. He must have forgotten something too. Something that made everything flip upside down.

Shina leaned into a cubby, eyeing a well folded green hoodie absently.

The last thing he remembered was being at home. His mother was taking a nap. She was always so tired now that her belly was so big… something his mother was missing now. Had his sister already come? Shina shook his head, trying to focus on his memory.

For once, his dad had to go to work. They couldn’t go for a walk in the woods like they normally would. He hadn’t gotten a new book to read in forever, and nothing was on the tv. And so… he tried to go on a walk by himself…

A bang startled Shina from his thoughts. He stood, observing the area around him. Nothing had fallen, and no one was near him. Could he have imagined it? Shina shrugged refocusing on the green hoodie. He lost his train of thought, but he was pleased to find a jacket in his favorite color.

Another pang startled him a second time. It came from the window. He turned to look… but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He approached storefront window, placing his forehead against the glass. He squinted, peering out into the early morning traffic of pedestrians walking to work and to school. At least he didn’t have to go to school.

Suddenly, a pebble smacked against the glass, right between the eyes. If the glass wasn’t there, it would have hit him in the face. He yelped, stumbling away from the window and accidentally dropping the hoodie.

“Shina?”

“I’m ok!” He called out, answering his mother’s concerned call. He approached the window, not daring to rest his face against it again. People walked by, unaware of his presence. No one looked suspicious or mean enough to throw a rock at him. Someone threw a rock at him. But why?

Another pebble appeared, but it failed to reach the window. It skipped across the ground, attracting his attention. Another pebble appeared after it. Then another. And another. The pebbles formed a line one by one. Rocks landed between the crowd, missing the oblivious passerbyers. Shina couldn’t tear his eyes away.

At last, he saw source of the rocks. The forest. A hand reached out from the bush, slowly placing one last pebble onto the ground. The hand waved, beckoning him closer. Shina hesitantly shook his head. As curious as he was, he knew better than to just follow a mysterious hand into the bushes. The hand receded into the bush, but someone else stepped out in its place.

Shina gawked. His father stood in his black and red hokage robe and his orange pants. His hair just barely covered his eyes. He finally looked normal again. It almost seemed unreal.

“Papa?”

 _“Shina-chan, what are you doing here?”_ He put his hands on his sides, pinning him with a concerned gaze. _“We’ve been worried sick about you’ttebayo!”_

“You remember now?” This morning, his father still lost his memories. But now…

 _“Remember what?”_ His father frowned, scratching his head. _“I don’t remember forgetting anything.”_

“You forgot everything!” Shina’s waved his arms, showing his frustration.

 _“Then, maybe I forgot that I forgot!”_ Naruto chuckled. He crouched down onto one knee, outstretching his arms. _“But enough of that, let’s go home now.”_

“…What?”

 _“Come quickly, Shinachiku. We don’t want to keep Sakura-chan waiting, do we? She’ll be upset if your sister comes before we get back.”_ He beckoned him closer with his hands. _“Let’s go home.”_

“We can go home?”

 _“Of course.”_ His father grinned, just as he always did.

Shina smiled. As much as he enjoyed seeing his mother tease and scold his father, he wanted to go home as soon as possible. He missed his house, his toys, and his room. He missed parents acting normally. He rushed into his father’s arms, but something held him back.

He tried to pry off what was keeping him in place. He grunted and twisted, but even still, he couldn’t get free. Confused, he glanced up. His father was still crouched there, smiling warmly.

_“Don’t worry, Shina-chan.”_

“Kai!”

Shina stopped struggling when someone yelled in his ear and a jolt of energy shot through his body. He twisted, shocked to find his mother holding him in place.

“Shina, what are you doing??” Sakura held him tightly, she had no intention of letting go. A small crowd formed around them, he failed to notice them standing there before.

He turned back to where his father was waiting for him… but he was gone.

“Shina, who were you talking to? Where were you going?” Sakura turned his head towards her. She carried a pile of clothes from store, forgetting to leave them behind when she realized Shina left the store. He walked outside to the edge of the forest before Sakura caught him.

“I was… talking to papa. We were gonna go home.”

Sakura glanced toward the forest again. No one was there… or at least not anymore. Someone cast a genjutsu on him. A strong one.

“Miss!”

The flustered store owner rushed toward them. Her face was red from the effort of trying to catch up with Sakura’s speed. Sakura took Shina in her arms, rushing over to meet the woman.

“I am so sorry! I had to catch up with him. I’ll pay for everything right away.” She bowed apologetically.

The woman huffed, but seemingly accepted Sakura’s apology when she lead them back into the store. 

* * *

_**Note 1:** No, Naruto and Sakura did not lose their memories. It is the only explanation Shinachiku can come up with.  
 **Note 2:** Yes, someone placed a powerful genjutsu on Shinachiku from the woods._


	5. Chapter 5

_Note: Sorry for the delay. I wasn't sure where to cut this chapter and I'm not completely satisfied with it. Nothing interesting happens. Sorry about that, but not all chapters can be interesting!_

* * *

Bag in hand and child in another, Sakura maneuvered through the crowd. Lunch time approached, but lunch was the last thing on her mind.

_'Who cast a genjutsu on him?'_

Sakura asked a multitude of questions, but Shina answered none of them. Whoever cast the jutsu knew how to lure him into the forest and take him who knows where. He insisted 'papa' came to take him home. She didn't know whether to believe him since he called Naruto his papa on and off. Not to mention he stubbornly called her his mother.

Sakura glanced behind her, eyeing the crowd surrounding them. Not for the first time that day, the feeling of someone watching and waiting plagued her. She wondered if Naruto was pulling some kind of dumb prank, but not even he would go this far.

When a hand clamped down on her shoulder, instinct kicked in. She held Shina tighter in one arm and used her free one to elbow her opponent. Or, that's what she intended to do if they hadn't caught her arm.

"Don't do that." A voice hissed. She glanced up, surprised to find Naruto standing beside her. He wasn't looking at her.

"Naruto, what are you doing?!" Sakura yanked her arm away to face him, prepared to grill him on this 'prank'. Naruto glanced down. His face held a seriousness that rarely appeared unless the situation called for it. The markings on his eyelids indicated his use of senjutsu, saved for dire situations. Any anger she had evaporated.

"What's happening?"

"Someone's following you."

Shina lifted his head from Sakura's shoulder, startled by the sudden movement. When their eyes met, Naruto provided a friendly wave, and shot him a smile. He expected one back, but Shina timidly looked away, as if he expected someone else.

"Shina? What do you want for lunch? Can you think about it for me?" Sakura readjusted him in her arms. He was too old to be carried this much, but letting him walk on his own was out of the question. He nodded in acceptance, focused on the task presented to him.

"Who's following you?" Naruto whispered.

"You tell me, how am I supposed to know?" When she turned back to Naruto, his senjutsu markings disappeared.

"I can't tell. Whoever it is… they keep slipping past my range. I can't use all my reserves."

Sakura frowned. "What are you saying? What if they're dangerous, Naruto? Why are you worried about your reserves?"

"Because, it doesn't seem like they're dangerous and it would be a waste." He rubbed his head nonchalantly. It kind of ticked her off. "Probably just one of your fans."

"Whoever that is just tried to lure a certain someone into the forest with a genjutsu. It sure seems malicious, don't you think?" She gritted through her teeth.

"What?" Judging by his reaction, she concluded he didn't pull a prank. He didn't have the ability to cast such a powerful genjutsu.

"I didn't see who it was. But they're not following me."

"… They're after him? Why?"

"Listen… Shina insisted that his 'papa' came and wanted to take him home. Convinced." She lowered her voice further. "The strength of that genjutsu took a lot of chakra to break. Shina didn't know it was fake."

"A genjutsu huh?" Naruto held his chin, pretending to think deeply on the subject. Genjutsu wasn't his forte.

"Whoever cast it had a clear idea of what Shina was looking for." Sakura sighed, explaining further. "Such a strong genjutsu was made to be convincing, not to just confuse or trick him."

"Ah, right right. So then… someone knows who he is?"

"It might be the same person who put him in this weird situation. Or…they did something mo-"

"Mom!" Shina lifted his head, pointing to a shop a few steps away. "Can we get ice cream? Or, a smoothie?"

Sakura glanced toward the small ice cream shop beside them. She hung out there with her friends often, and even went on… 'dates' there with Naruto in the past. Despite how tempting a strawberry smoothie sounded, they had no time for an ice cream break.

"Shina…"

"Sure! Let's go get ice cream!" Naruto wrapped an arm around Sakura's shoulders, rerouting her into the shop before she protested. Sakura pinned him with a hard glare, but even she couldn't deny the whims of the child in her arms.

* * *

They ordered their treats and sat at a booth together, but Naruto claimed the side with Shina before she managed to.

"Hey Shina, let me try some of your smoothie." Naruto leaned over, sticking out his tongue attempting to steal some of the cream from the top of Shina's smoothie. Shina moved his drink, holding Naruto's face away.

"No!"

"No? What? Aren't you supposed to share?" Shina seemed stricken by this, contemplating his options. Sakura rolled her eyes, trying and failing to hide her smile. The entire goofy scene was adorable.

"Ok. But, only if ma gets some first'ttebaro." As soon as the words left his mouth, he scooted the cup towards Sakura.

"Shina…" Sakura spoke softly. "You remember what we spoke about earlier right?" She waited for his reluctant answer.

"No." Shina turned away. He didn't like lying to his mother, but he had no other choice. Sweat trickled down his back from her intense stare.

"Are you sure? I remember it."

"I don't." Shina shook his head stubbornly, still refusing to meet her eyes.

"What conversation?" Naruto rested his chin on his palm, sipping his chocolate shake.

"Nothing." Sakura sighed and turned toward the window. The situation frustrated her ever so slightly. Shina confused them for his parents and now Naruto was hanging out around her again. Despite her mind and reason telling her what a bad idea it was to get so wrapped up in all of it… she enjoyed it.

Her workload was stressful and monotonous, even on her day off, she couldn't relax. Work barely crossed her mind now, her focus centered on the mysterious boy that Naruto dropped off that fateful night. She wasn't his mother, and Naruto wasn't his father… but somehow that undeniable fact seemed... partially nonfactual.

"You aren't gonna try it?"

Shina's arms were still outstretched on the table, offering his strawberry smoothie to her. Unable to deny his request, she leaned forward, taking a sip. She didn't mind since strawberry was her favorite flavor.

"Mmm, delicious. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Shina smiled, pulling the smoothie closer. "Ok, now your turn."

"My turn?" Naruto glanced at the chilled cut of strawberry smoothie.

"Didn't you want some?" Again, Shina offered up his glass, pushing it in Naruto's direction. Naruto grinned, carefully leaning down and taking the straw into his mouth. Strawberry wasn't his favorite flavor, but it tasted delicious.

He paused when he heard insistent coughing from Sakura's direction. He paused mid sip. Much to his confusion, Sakura glared at him. This glare distinctly resembled the glare she used when he embarrassed her.

"Ah." He released the straw and let it slide into the cold slush. Only moments before… she had sipped from the same straw.

"Are you one?" Shina asked, eager to get his drink back.

"... One more sip." Naruto leaned in impulsively, taking the straw into his mouth as he looked directly in her eyes. She gaped. His actions would start an… interesting conversation at the very least. "Alright, all done!" Naruto smiled, giving Shina back his cup. "Thanks for sharing!"

"You're welcome." Shina sipped his own drink. For a moment, everything seemed to be right again. Shina started to smile, but stopped when Sakura stood at the table.

"Naruto." Sakura grit through her teeth, reaching across the table and grabbing his arm. "We need to talk." Before he protested, she dragged him from the table. "We'll be right back Shina, so stay here, ok?" Shina nodded, but questioned why his mother became upset so suddenly.

Sakura pulled Naruto further away, entering a small hallway that lead to the bathrooms. Sakura glanced, making sure Shina was enjoying his treat.

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Naruto innocently scratched his ear, the wall behind Sakura became very interesting.

"Don't play stupid!" She slapped his arm, forcefully pulling his finger out of his ear. "You're cheating on your girlfriend and I want no part of it!"

"What? I am NOT cheating!"

"What you just did at the table was unacceptable!" Sakura glanced into the restaurant, checking on Shina again. He was enjoying his smoothie, but peering out of the window. "We… YOU can't do that stuff anymore. Don't you get it? People are going to misunderstand and it'll be a mess for nothing. Only do that stuff with your girlfriend!"

"I can only drink from a straw with my girlfriend around?"

"No- you-!" Naruto watched as Sakura became more frustrated and flustered. The… indirect kiss. He wouldn't have even realized it if she hadn't had a reaction to it before. He didn't resist the temptation to tease her further. It might be wrong but… this was his chance to change their current predicament. No turning back. He crossed his arms defiantly.

"If something like that is cheating, then maybe I shouldn't-"

"Don't you dare." Sakura ran a hand through her hair, frustration rising. "Why do we have to keep going over this?"

"We haven't 'gone over' anything. You decided to ignore me and every time I try to talk to you or hang out... you say 'it's cheating'." He took a step forward, again, towering over her. "Why is everything we do together 'cheating'. Are you trying to say we weren't friends?"

Sakura stood her ground, frowning at him. She always ended up backed into this corner. Why couldn't he just play along and leave her alone? Did he know she actually enjoyed his company despite that front she put on? Sakura pretended he was too stupid to understand her but… she'd only be lying to herself further. She hoped he would have given up by now, but even when he had someone else… he refused to leave her be. He IS Naruto after all.

Sakura pushed past him, attempting to return to their seat. He grabbed her by her arm, pulling her back into the hallway. She turned to yell at him a little more, but he held her mouth, keeping her quiet. He pointed out of the hall to their table.

Shina sat in his seat, but whatever was happening outside stole attention away from his melting smoothie. Naruto shifted, glancing outside. At first, he saw nothing except the crowd pacing back and forth. He admitted, watching people go about their daily lives was quite mesmerizing, but there had to be something more.

"Naruto… someone is in the alleyway across the street."

"What?"

"Just look. Someone is standing there." Sakura whispered urgently. He could make out a dark shadow in an already dark alleyway.

"I can hardly see anything."

"You don't need to 'see', idiot! Use your chakra to scan them."

He focused chakra around him, slowly expanding his senses. He hoped to catch the culprit, but luck evaded him. The figure backed away from his reach again.

"Damn it!" Naruto rushed from the hall and out of the shop. They escaped.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura were paranoid for the rest of the day. They explored the town together, going from shop to shop and purchasing clothing for their young charge. Despite a stalker seemingly stalking him, Shina seemed completely unaffected by it.

"We're going to go home now." Sakura announced, holding Shina in her arms. She complained at first, but she was grateful of Naruto's stubbornness. He 'happily' carried the shopping bags.

"Did you really need this much Sakura-chan? It's a bit much ttebayo…" Naruto followed her closely holding at least 10 bags in his hands and arms.

"Kids need clothes, anything could happen."

"... You just wanted to look at cute kid clothes." He drawled. She scoffed, but the boy in her arms chuckled. Even he knew the underlying goal of the day.

The sun set, painting the sky a beautiful mixture of orange and pink. When they reached the door, Sakura took out her keys and opened the door.

"Thanks for the help Naruto. You can put the bags over there." Sakura stepped aside, pointing to the couch. Naruto happily stepped in and put the bags down.

"Sakura-chan…" He trailed off, glancing over to gauge her reaction. "There's someone out there and we can't figure out who it is. Who knows if they're dangerous. Maybe I should… stick around?"

"Naruto, you can't be serious." She rolled her eyes.

"I am'ttebaro." He sat on the couch, as if sitting down anchored his body.

"You think I can't handle it?"

"You know that's not it. It's just that...two is better than one." He expected Sakura to yell at him or kick him out… but she looked pensive. "I'll just stay out here with Shina keeping a look out. I swear'ttebayo," he pressed.

"Naruto… you can't just spend the night at my house. What are people going to think? You really think Hinata won't hear about it somehow?" Sakura tapped her foot anxiously, still holding Shina in her arms. He danced on the edge of being asleep and awake. The threat of a stalker hung over her all day. After the second encounter in the store, she refused to put the boy down on his own feet. She wanted to go after the stalker, or alert guards nearby, but Naruto held her back.

_'I don't feel any malice.' He insisted._

So what? Someone was trying to lure Shina into the forest. It was another mystery surrounding him that was unanswered. Not alerting anyone was nothing more than a mistake, it might be a disaster. Why did she always go along with his plans anyway?

"Sakura-chan."

"... Fine." She shook her head and descended down the hall towards the bathroom. Naruto followed into the bathroom, helping to prepare the tub for Shina while she helped him get undressed. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but it was quite helpful.

"Sakura, haven't I already said it before? I don't care what people think. You say there's nothing going in, so what's the problem?" He chose his words carefully, not wanting to set her off and get kicked out again.

She frowned as she lathered up the soap, scrubbing Shina's messy hair. He waited a response, but she ignored him. He sighed and exited the bathroom, leaving her to her task. She wanted to believe he'd finally given up and left things alone, but she knew it would never be that easy. Her feelings… his feelings… it might plague her for the rest of her life.

'Plague'. The feelings weren't the problem. It was everything else. Naruto's relationship -something she pushed for-, her career, her obligation to… Sasuke. Sakura rested her forehead on the edge of the tub as Shina played with the soap inside.

She wanted to be supportive of Naruto and Sasuke. There were so many things that could make Naruto happy, he didn't need her. Right? Naruto was taken care of. It was Sasuke that still needed someone. Abandoning him would make her a bad person… right? He didn't want to be her friend. He didn't want to be her lover. What could she do?

That's where the problem lied. She didn't think about Sasuke and his issues when Naruto was around. 'What is Naruto thinking?', 'What does Naruto want?', 'Is Naruto happy?', 'Is Naruto satisfied?', 'What can I do for him?'

What would other people think if they found out she was fretting over Naruto instead of the one who was clearly more in need? Surely they'd call her selfish, despicable. Fickle? Detestable?

 _'I don't care what people say'._ How did he ignore what people thought of him? The question was rhetorical, anyone with a childhood like his would grow a thick skin.

"Mama?"

Sakura lifted her head, meeting the eyes of Shina sitting in the tub. Although he was tired, his eyes were still bright and alert. They resembled her mother's eyes. Her own eyes.

"Are you ok?"

"Ah, yes I'm fine. Are you finished?" Shina nodded, raising his arms in the air for assistance. Sakura dried and dressed him. She lead him to the living room. Luckily, they ate before they came home. Naruto waited on the couch, focused on window. During their time in the bathroom, Naruto set up Shina's bedding just like Sakura made it. Shina rushed over, collapsing onto the soft bedding. They were out since early in the morning, it must be a relief for a little kid to finally get some proper rest.

Sakura tucked him in and rubbed his back, like the nights before. He fell asleep with little resistance.

"Where are you going to sleep?" She asked. Naruto's eyes widened and he slouched. He hadn't expected her to let him stay for real.

"I'll just sleep on the couch or the floor or something."

"And… you already know where all the bedding is."

"Yeah."

Sakura stood, exiting the room towards her bedroom.

"Good night, Sakura-chan." When she looked back, Naruto smiled at her. His teeth shone through the darkness. She hesitated, but smiled back.

"Good night, Naruto. Don't do anything weird."

* * *

No one approached the house, the stalker knew to stay away during the night it seemed. Did they kept their distance because he was around? While it gave Naruto an excuse to be closer to Sakura and to stick around Shina, he wished it wasn't because someone around a corner wanted to snatch Shina away to who knows where.

Naruto and Sakura worried about the threat, but Shina seemed unfazed by the tension. Why? What did he see in the genjutsu that made him so willing to be taken?

"Papa…"

Naruto started, looking into the room. Shina crawled out of his bedding, rubbing his eyes. He didn't fall asleep as deeply as they thought.

"What's wrong?" He was not his father… but it seemed pointless to keep correcting him. Eventually, he fell back to calling him 'papa' and Sakura 'mom'. Until they found his parents or his home, it didn't seem to be harmful.

Shina blinked, his vision well adjusted to the darkness. Naruto sat on the couch by the window. The curtain was slightly open, letting moonlight spill in.

"What're you doing?" Shina crawled closer, dragging the blanket with him.

"Hey, shouldn't you sleeping?" Naruto left the couch, stopping Shina in his tracks. He leaned down, meeting the boy's twinkling eyes in the darkness. "Back to the bed you g-uh!" Naruto fell back when the boy pounced on him.

Shina's short arms didn't reach all the way around Naruto's torso, but he hugged tightly and buried his face on his chest.

"What's wrong?" Confused, Naruto gently pet his back.

"Nothing." Shina mumbled, keeping his face pressed on his chest.

"Are you sure?" The room stilled for a few moments before Shina raised his head.

"Did you really forget again?"

"Forget what?" Naruto asked carefully, but not carefully enough. The enthusiasm drained from Shina's face before he placed his face into Naruto's chest again. Naruto lifted the boy onto his feet, trying to meet his eyes again. "Shina, what is it you think I'm forgetting?"

Shina shuffled, looking at anything but Naruto.

"Is… Sakura-chan is forgetting something too?" The question sparked Shina's attention.

"Yeah!"

Naruto hummed, tapping his chin. He wished the kid would just explain himself, but then again, he was only a little kid. Shina must be as confused as they are. They would sort this out… tomorrow.

Naruto smiled, nudging Shina back to his bedding. "Listen Shina, we'll talk about this tomorrow ok?" He tucked him in exactly how Sakura did earlier. "Good night."

"... Good night." When Naruto started to move away, a small hand tugged his shirt. Shina's bright eyes shone through the darkness. He looked worried. "Are you gonna stay…?"

"... Of course." Naruto laid beside his bedding, propping up his elbow to rest on. "I'll be right here."

Satisfied, Shina released his shirt, but still kept his eyes pinned on Naruto.

"What're we gonna do tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? You haven't even slept yet." Naruto rubbed his back, just like Sakura did earlier. The tactic was very effective, Shina's eyes drooped rapidly.

"Can we go to the park?…" He mumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"The park?"

"We used to go all the time... but then we don't anymore. But now we can." Shina's speech quickly devolved into rambles. Naruto listened to him ramble on as exhaustion overtook him. Naruto didn't stop rubbing his back even after he knew the Shina fell asleep.

Naruto planned to head back to Kakashi tomorrow to see if any progress was made on finding his parents. He couldn't shake the feeling that… they would never find his parents. Things weren't adding up, there's only so much that can be blamed on 'memory loss' or 'confusion'.

There's no doubt that Sakura and himself looked similar his parents. That would be enough to explain Shina's confusion. But… who looked so similar to them to convince Shina so strongly?

Naruto reached over, gently stroking Shina's unruly hair. Shina must brush it down every day. If he didn't, it'd stick up in all directions... Just like his. There weren't many people in Konoha with this hair except himself and his late father.

His eyes. He'd gone on about them enough, but the resemblance to Sakura's… . Even the shape of his eyes resembled hers. There weren't many people in Konoha with her eyes either, not unless they were related to her small family. He'd never admit how much he's compared them over the last few days. The more he looked, the more similarities made themselves obvious.

Someone that looked like him… and someone that looked like Sakura...

A place so familiar, yet different…

He experienced that before too.


	6. Chapter 6 (Part 1)

_Note: Sorry again for the delay. Here is the first half of chapter 6. I’d say There will probably be 8 chapters in total. Stay tuned!_

* * *

Banging woke her from her sleep. She sat up straight, searching the room for the source.

The room was bright for this early in the morning. She glanced at the clock… but it was blank. Sakura scrambled from the bed and grabbed the clock. Someone had deliberately unplugged it. Work started hours ago.

More banging came from the kitchen. Someone hissed in pain.

“Got dangit.” Naruto turned, jerking in surprise when Sakura was right behind him. She grabbed him by his collar, bringing him close.

“Why did you unplug my alarm clock?!”

“Ah uh, good morning Sakura-chan!” Naruto grinned, putting his hands on her shoulders and easing her back. “Don’t worry, I already called in for you. You have another day off!”

Silence. The air grew still and a cold wave washed over him. Ah, she was upset. Sakura grabbed his shirt, shaking him.

“You can’t call my job and take off work for me!”

“Shh shh sh!!” Naruto raised a finger to his mouth, peering over toward the living room. Luckily, all the noise did not disturb Shina from his sleep. Sakura released him and leaned over the counter.

“I heard you’ve been wearing yourself thin anyway. What’s wrong with another day off?” Naruto placed a pan onto the stove and turned it on.

“You do NOT have the right to-”

“And, I wanted to figure out Shina’s situation today. We can’t keep going on like this, right?” Naruto interrupted her, but kept his attention on the pan and began preparing eggs. “He wanted us to have a picnic today. Together. Because ‘we always used to’.”

“… Naruto, are you leading him on?”

“No.” Finally, he looked at her, she seemed distraught. “… It’s a great chance to figure out what he’s thinking, right? He seems to think we’re his parents. Maybe… we can get him to tell us what he knows.”

“You want to trick him??”

“No.”

“That’s what it sounds like to me.”

“Sakura-chan… haven’t you noticed?” Sakura gave him a blank stare. He continued, “How much he looks like us?” When Sakura rolled her eyes, he chuckled. “What, you don’t think so?”

“Nar-”

“Sakura, when we get to the park, there’s more I want to talk about too. Don’t you think it’s about time we stop avoiding it?”

“There’s not much to talk about.” Sakura crossed her arms and watched Naruto attempt to flip the eggs into a proper omelette. She wondered when he learned to cook for himself.

“Yes, there is. Aren’t you supposed to talk through stuff like this?”

“You can solve your problems if you just grow up.”

“It’s the opposite.” Naruto’s expression hardened. “Is it that hard for you to tell me the truth for once?”

Sakura balled her fist and rage filled her mind. She wanted to yell at him and insist that the drop the topic once and for all. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t because he was right she acknowledged.

“Papa?”

Shina pushed himself onto his knees, staring into the room. Naruto’s father wasn’t there, but his blankets and pillow was.

“Good morning, Shina!” Naruto brushed past Sakura and approached Shina’s bedding. The boy’s eyes lit up.

“Are we gonna go to the park now?”

* * *

Sakura sighed, and not for the first time that day. The morning started off poorly, but as time went on it improved. When Shina woke, he begged to go to the park. She never saw him so eager since his mysterious appearance. She didn’t resist his request despite rejecting Naruto moments before.

Together, they walked hand in hand with Shina swinging between them. It felt… almost natural.

“Let’s go there!” The boy shouted enthusiastically. Shina released their hands and rushed over to a small gathering of trees and playground equipment. He sat on a swing, completely in his element.

“Seems like he’s been here before.”

Sakura turned when Naruto spoke. They sat on a bench together, watching over the small boy as he swung and played on the equipment. When other children arrived, Shina joined in on the usual playground fun. He certainly wasn’t shy.

“… Is it ok if we talk now?” Naruto continued. Their… ‘friendship’ had been rocky for months leading up to this. It was Shina who allowed Naruto to speak to Sakura on a normal basis again. But even Shina put a strain on whatever Naruto and Sakura had between them. “Please?”

Sakura sighed. Again. She wondered if it was becoming annoying.

“About what, Naruto?”

“Where Shina is from. I have a pretty good idea. Probably’ttebayo.” He cleared his throat, thinking of the best way to explain. This was a subject they never told anyone else. A secret between the two of them, a secret they buried years ago. Naruto rubbed his hands. They agreed to never broach the subject again, but what other possibility could there be?

“Spit it out, Naruto.” She insisted.

“Alright alright.” Naruto rubbed his head and leaned back into the bench. He glanced around, ensuring they were alone. “… Shina is from here. But a different ‘here’.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sakura eyed him him skeptically.

“You know… like… that place we went to that was an ‘illusion’?” Sakura’s eyes widened, then narrowed in disbelief.

“I thought you had a serious suggestion.”

“It is serious.” Naruto stretched out, crossing his legs and extending his arm over the bench behind her. He watched as Shina played with the other children completely in his element. A stark contrast to his own childhood. “Shina…. He could be from somewhere else. Almost the same place… with all these strange little changes that don’t make sense. Like that place.”

Despite her attempts to brush it off… Naruto made some sense. Even after all these years, she and Naruto didn’t quite understand what that world was. Was it a genjutsu?

“Wherever Shina is from… it’s a different Konoha. You and I are there. But older… maybe?” Naruto tapped his foot, daring to continue as he watched her tense. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable… but how else could he explain? “We’re older. Which means Konoha is not that different after all, it’s changed with time. Shina knows us because… I’m his dad. And…”

He trailed off, deciding to let her put the rest of the pieces together. Or at least, he hoped she was. When she turned to him, eyes ablaze, he cringed. Did he upset her after all?

“And what?” The tinge of anger was not present in her glimmering green eyes.

“You get the idea, right?” Naruto tried, tracing his eyes over the playground as not to meet her eyes.

“Naruto, say it.” She insisted.

“That somewhere else… Shina is my son. And… you are his mother. And we live together in a house like the one I took him to. It sounds stupid I know and it’s not exactly like what happened to us, but it’s possible right??” Naruto breathed out and closed his eyes, tense and waiting. He expected her to finally get upset. Or even to deny it or call him stupid. Anything.

When Naruto opened his eyes, Sakura looked thoughtful and pensive. She had the focused look she wore when doing her work or figuring out a plan… or determining if his reasons were bullcrap.

“Naruto.”

Someone called from behind. Naruto glanced over his shoulder to find an annoyed Shikamaru. He remembered the conversation he dipped out and avoided for the past few days.

“Ah! Shikamaru! Where have you been?” Naruto stood up. “It’s like you’ve been avoiding me the past few days.”

Shikamaru glared and Sakura rolled her eyes. His attempt at passing the blame was quite obvious.

“I’m not here to talk about that. Hokage-sama wishes to see you.”

“Kakashi? What for?” Sakura asked, curiosity piqued. “Did Naruto do something stupid?”

“No idea, he didn’t say. But that’s probably it.”

“Hey, I haven’t done anything stupid in forever’ttebayo.” Naruto complained. “Does it… have to be right now?”

They glanced toward the playground, observing the children continue to play, including Shina.

“Is that the kid everyone’s gossiping about?” Shikamaru asked. “Ino hasn’t shut up about it.” Sakura froze.

“Ino? What has she said??”

Shikamaru shrugged, “I didn’t pay attention. She’s been looking for you though. Kinda weird how the both of you seem to be avoiding everyone.”

“We haven’t been avoiding anyone.” Naruto insisted. While it was true that he avoided people, Sakura wasn’t… right?

“Anyway, I came to let you know since you’re ignoring the birds too.” Shikamaru raised a hand as he turned around. “We’ll talk later.”

A breeze flew past as Naruto stood there and contemplated the request. It wasn’t an order that he had to see Kakashi right now, right?

“Naruto, go see Kakashi. We can talk later too.” Sakura refocused her attention on the playground. Shina had stopped playing with the other children to observer the roots of a tree nearby.

“I’m sure it can wait’ttebayo.” Naruto insisted, wishing to sit back down but Sakura blocked the open space with her hand. If they didn’t talk now, who knows when she’d be willing to sit down and listen.

“Get it out of the way… then we’ll figure things out later.” He started to protest, but Sakura turned to him. Her expression was… open. Relaxed. Calm. There was even a small smile on her lips. She meant it, he realized. Naruto hid his surprise with a smile and started walking backwards, holding her gaze.

“Later then.” 

* * *

pt. 2 coming soon


End file.
